The cloth metaphor (paṭa) is vivid and practical. Just as a dirty cloth cannot be properly dyed until it is cleaned, the body must be purified before higher yogic practices can take effect. The “earth and water” (mṛj-jala) represent the physical processes of the ṣaṭkarmas.

This prioritization of purification (śodhana) as foundation is characteristic of the Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā. While other texts may begin directly with āsana or prāṇāyāma, here it is insisted that without a clean base, everything else is ineffective.

The verse implies a logical progression: first purification, then yoga. They are not isolated practices but steps of the same ladder.